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You are not a prisoner of your body.

Media and advertising would have you believing you are. Actually, convincing you of the imaginary wall called, “your body’s shortcomings,” is a multi-billion dollar industry. You may even work in advertising and still fall prey to the ever present message that you are lacking. Miserably.

You are not a prisoner of your body. You are not defined by your body. You are the life inside your body. If there’s anything that can be learned from the flower growing in the cracked concrete, it’s that life doesn’t accept imperfection and difficulty as an end all boundary. Rather, life seeks and finds the route that leads to opportunity and growth.

The walls of your body, your skin, and your limitations are obstacles specifically designed to be overcome by you. You are meant to find the crack.

You might be thinking, "Girl, I've only got one crack - and it's not exactly a door of opportunity!"

That's not the crack I'm talking about. ;)

Actually, let's get away from that metaphor... You are meant to embrace who you are and what you have. Fully. Deeply. Genuinely.

Make friends with your Self.

You’ll start to realize that what you lack cannot be bought. What you lack is not perfection. What you lack isn't even in the magazines.

The feeling of lacking comes from a deep need to connect with the Self, and to give from this pure place. To contribute meaningfully to society, and ultimately, to feel like you matter.

Making friends with your Self will dramatically change your expectations from your body. You will find that your body has likely been trying to speak to you for years about your truth.

Making friends with your Self doesn’t mean all your limitations melt away. It’s your perspective that melts into a new mold.

Your limitations, your pain, and your walls illuminate your greatest gifts once you find the right angle. It's from this angle that you'll see how you can really make a difference to those around you. This is where you'll find your path to passion, purpose, and belonging.

You are not a prisoner of your body.

Whatever your supposed flaw, however difficult the obstacle, the prison is in the mind.

The mind is the one who buys into the media. The mind is the one who decorates the merry-go-round of anxiety with webs of lies. The mind is the one who celebrates wallowing at the base of imaginary walls.

The mind is like the big brother who is not mature enough to be left in charge of the younger kids.

How does one escape? By deciding to overthrow the negative navigation of the mind. You escape when you decide to rebuild the pathways with heart based intentions - funded (of course) by taxes on the mind's wasteful use of anxiety.

Retrain your pathways with:

Breath, words of love, compassion, and friendship to your Self.

Assume your burdens, or symptoms are a conversations stemming from a place of love. "What is my body trying to teach me?" Ask yourself this question. Breath into it. Let it go, and refocus yourself on love several times a day. This creates a pathway for opportunity and growth - whereas, the mind tends to accept symptoms as a concrete slab.

Speak love into yourself until you know that yourlifeis love. This may take weeks, months, or even years to fully set in. Start the conversation anyway.

This is how you set your Self free. This is how you learn to appreciate your body. This is how you can more fully embrace this life.

Your body: your friend, your teacher, your teammate = your freedom.

This is not always an easy to go alone. If you want support in your journey to retrain the mind, visit my Consultations Tab for your free Initial Consultation. Underneath your obstacles, you'll find your greatest truth and joy. Let's uncover them!

Have you ever noticed that the exact millisecond you decide it's time to take control of your life and "eat healthy," you suddenly HAVE to have all your favorite foods like RIGHT NOW? Scarcity mindset can morph you into a stage 5 clinger (even... no especially to - food) if you're not careful.

How do you overcome this feeling that all will be lost if you choose a salad just this once? The answer is simple. Logic. Start holding this logical conversation with yourself every time you reach for a snack or meal. By simply asking yourself a few questions, you may find that you're not hungry, so much as you just need to drink some water, or get outside for some fresh air and change of scenery.

To begin, sit down and take 7 - 10 deep, slow breaths. When you've met yourself in the present moment, make your way through these questions. Be honest - you'll know if you're fibbing.

Am I actually hungry?

What’s the vitamin and mineral content in this snack/meal?

How much progress have I made on my hydration goal today? *You're aiming for 1/2 your body weight in ounces, right? That's what I thought... go fill up. ;)

Am I bored?

Am I looking for a distraction or an escape?

Am I stressed out?

How will I feel after eating this? Energetic, tired, bloated, guilty, satiated...?

How does this snack/meal benefit my bigger goals?

Do I have any preconceived judgements about this food? Do I innately believe that this is a "good" or "bad" food?

Am I at complete peace with where this food came from, and how it will nourish me? Am I secretly shaming myself?

Do I love this bite? Do I love this seventh bite?

Do I need to finish this to feel perfectly content? Or, will I be happy see someone else enjoy the rest, or to save some for later?

This quick and easy check in with yourself will help you identify:

If food is really what you want in this moment.

If you're eating for the wrong reasons and/or sabotaging your goals.

If you're giving yourself a stress response by harboring mixed feelings about what you're eating.

When you're satiated/satisfied and it's time to move on.

When we are not at peace with what we choose to eat, we induce an innate stress response that slows digestion, makes it difficult to assimilate nutrients, and ultimately hinders our metabolic ability.

Do you like the sound of that? I didn't think so. Choose to be at peace with how you nourish your body and morale. It's okay to indulge, especially when you're truly letting yourself enjoy it!

If you find this post useful, please share it with a friend or 900 (give or take) who may enjoy the mindset shift as well. :)

If you have questions about what steps to take to develop more peace in your relationship with food, check out my consultation page to schedule a free Initial consultation and find out how Life & Nutrition Coaching can help you reach your goals.